The [[argument from divine sense]], or ''sensus divinitatis'' is an attempt to justify reformed epistemology, which holds that belief in God can be considered properly basic, requiring no external justification. This particular argument has seen resistance from both believers and non-believers, though for fundamentally different reasons.

+

The [[argument from divine sense]], or ''[[sensus divinitatis]]'' is an attempt to justify reformed epistemology, which holds that belief in God can be considered properly basic, requiring no external justification. This particular argument has seen resistance from both believers and non-believers, though for fundamentally different reasons. Believers point out that the argument not only eliminates any need for traditional apologetics that attempt to offer rational defenses of faith and belief in God, it also eliminates traditional views of faith, encouraging a position akin to "God is real for me, and that's all that matters." Additionally, theists and non-theists point out that even if the argument were sound, it cannot justify any particular God or concept of God beyond what the individual claims to experience.

+

+

==Foundationalism Premise==

+

The underlying premise for the argument rests in the concepts of [[foundationalism]], which holds that beliefs can be divided into two categories:

+

# foundational beliefs (also called basic or properly basic), which are accepted axiomatically and require no external justification

+

# all other beliefs, which are derived from foundational beliefs

+

+

Foundationalism isn't universally accepted and competing epistemological philosophies exist which include objections to the premise of properly basic beliefs. (See the main article on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundationalism foundationalism] at [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia], or our own [[foundationalism|summary]], for more information)

==Basic Argument==

==Basic Argument==

+

==Rebuttal==

==Rebuttal==

Revision as of 12:28, 25 August 2006

This article has been flagged as a work in progress.The original author is still working on this article. Please direct all non-minor edits to the discussion page.

The argument from divine sense, or sensus divinitatis is an attempt to justify reformed epistemology, which holds that belief in God can be considered properly basic, requiring no external justification. This particular argument has seen resistance from both believers and non-believers, though for fundamentally different reasons. Believers point out that the argument not only eliminates any need for traditional apologetics that attempt to offer rational defenses of faith and belief in God, it also eliminates traditional views of faith, encouraging a position akin to "God is real for me, and that's all that matters." Additionally, theists and non-theists point out that even if the argument were sound, it cannot justify any particular God or concept of God beyond what the individual claims to experience.

Contents

Foundationalism Premise

The underlying premise for the argument rests in the concepts of foundationalism, which holds that beliefs can be divided into two categories:

foundational beliefs (also called basic or properly basic), which are accepted axiomatically and require no external justification

all other beliefs, which are derived from foundational beliefs

Foundationalism isn't universally accepted and competing epistemological philosophies exist which include objections to the premise of properly basic beliefs. (See the main article on foundationalism at Wikipedia, or our own summary, for more information)